Forming a blockchain in low-bandwidth, resource-constrained network

ABSTRACT

A device selects a plurality of other devices to participate in a blockchain based at least in part on observed behavior of a communication link between the device and each of the other devices. The device, based at least in part on the selecting, participates in the blockchain with at least some of the plurality of other devices.

BACKGROUND

Blockchain technology may be used to guarantee the accuracy of storedinformation. Blockchain technology has many practical applications,including device authentication, secure data recovery and dataauthenticity guarantee.

A blockchain is a linked and growing list of records, called blocks,that are cryptographically linked to each other. For example, each blockin a blockchain may include a cryptographic hash of the immediatelyprevious block, a timestamp, and transaction data. Blockchain isresistant to undetectable modification of data contained within it. Forexample, once data in a block is recorded, the data cannot beundetectably changed, since doing so would require changing allsubsequent blocks. A blockchain may be managed by a peer-to-peer networkof nodes that communicate data with each other and that validate newblocks.

The communication and validation are highly consumptive of individualnode and collective network resources. As a result, blockchaintechnology may severely affect the operation of a resource-constrainednetwork. For example, a node in a network may have limited data storage,and only some of that limited storage may be available for blockstorage. As another example, inter-node network communication bandwidthmay be limited, and only some of that limited inter-node communicationbandwidth may be available for communicating block data.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanyingfigures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference numberidentifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. Theuse of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similaror identical items.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an example network architecture.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing details of an example network communicationdevice.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example mesh network in which a device forms ablockchain with other devices of the mesh network.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for a targetdevice to form a blockchain with other devices in a network, such as ina mesh network.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of how devices of the FIG. 3example network may operate in accordance with the FIG. 4 exampleprocess, after selecting candidate participant devices.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process by which a device mayrecognize and remedy a blockchain error.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a process by which a device, such asa back-end server, determines which device participating in a blockchainis exhibiting a blockchain error.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of how devices of the FIG. 3example network may operate in accordance with the FIG. 6 exampleprocess and the FIG. 7 example process.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a process by which a device, such asa target device, may determine to trim a blockchain and may then trimthe blockchain.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example blockchain being maintained by a device.The blockchain may be trimmed by the device, such as in accordance withthe FIG. 9 example process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Blockchain technology implementations may severely affect the operationof a resource-constrained network including because, for example, in atypical blockchain, all data created and added to the blockchain isshared with all other devices in the blockchain. With respect tobandwidth resources, the concept of low bandwidth is relative. Forexample, Long-Term Evolution (LTE) is a standard for wireless broadbandcommunication with throughput up to 300 Mbit/sec, per device, withbandwidth going down from that upper limit as devices congest the mediumand cell towers. 5G wireless technology may provide higher throughputover time. With Wi-Fi, devices may transmit several hundreds ofMbit/sec, and that throughput continues to improve over time as Wi-Fitechnology is enhanced.

The lower the bandwidth, the more significant may be degradation inperformance of blockchain technology functions. As the distance betweena transmitter and receiver increases, the throughput generallydecreases. Furthermore, technologies to share RF medium and bandwidthcan also degrade the throughput. For example, the RF spectrum is dividedinto frequency bands, and the bands are usually divided into channelswithin that band. For example, bands may be either public (e.g., ISM 900MHz and 2.4 GHz) or private (bought spectrum, such as cellular bands,VHF, UHF, etc.). Any member of the public can operate in the publicspectrum (for example, assuming the radio and usage meets FCC approval),but only the purchaser can use (or license within) the purchased bands.Public bands, in particular, are shared with many other devices, whichoften affects the ability of devices to transmit or receive over thepublic bands.

Bands are usually subdivided into channels, where a channel is somefraction of the total band. For example, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi may use 14channels where three of the channels (1, 6 and 11) are non-overlappingchannels. This is because the bandwidth of a channel overlaps the fourchannels less than its frequency, and the four channels above itsfrequency. A radio can use any of the fourteen channels. For example, ifa user chooses to use channel 4, there may be overlap with the primarychannels 1 and 6, which can cause packet/transmission collisions.

The distance between two devices affects the likelihood thattransmissions from the two devices will experience collisions, which mayprevent reception by any other device. For example, if the transmissionsfrom two devices reach a third device with sufficient signal strengthfrom both transmitting devices, a collision may ensue to prevent thethird device from receiving either transmission. If the signal from oneis strong enough, but the other signal is weak, it is likely thestronger signal will be successfully received without interference fromthe other. This is primarily affected by range, but other factors (e.g.,trees, buildings, rain, etc.) may also affect received signal strength.

There exist many technologies that allow for sharing of bands and/orchannels while minimizing or eliminating collisions. For example, withtime division, channels are coordinated so that a transmitter onlytransmits at allotted times. With channel division, devices arededicated to specific channels such that other devices on differentchannels do not collide (or collisions are significantly reduced inprobability). With frequency division multiplexing, packets are coded ina way such that the same channel can be shared, and more than onetransmission can be simultaneously successfully received through theunique coding of transmissions. Using these technologies, acommunication medium is still shared such that the total availablebandwidth (e.g., 100 kbps) is shared across all multiple devices. Forexample, if no other device is transmitting, a device may be able toutilize the full bandwidth. However, if multiple devices are attemptingto transmit at the same time, many of the devices may wait, gettingeffectively only a portion of the full bandwidth. If collisions occur,then the effective portion of the bandwidth may be even smaller, due todevices retrying transmission upon collision.

Certain network configurations use more bandwidth than other networkconfigurations. For example, mesh-networks use more bandwidth thantraditional “star” networks. A “star” network is one where allbandwidth-using devices connect directly to a central device, such as an“internet access point (TAP).” For example, the TAP may be a cell toweror other router connected to a high-bandwidth internet connection thatis not part of the RF medium of the star network. With a “mesh” network,only some of the devices may connect directly to the central device. Forsome of the devices, RF traffic is passed through other devices forminga chain of devices responsible for delivering transmissions to/from thecentral device, such as where direct connection to the central device isnot possible. The more “hops” traffic takes through other devices mayresult in less efficient use of the total available bandwidth. Forexample, if traffic takes two hops to reach the central device, at leasttwo transmissions occur, plus overhead for device to devicecommunication, to deliver a single packet. Also, most radios can onlytransmit, or receive, but not both at the same time.

Furthermore, in many configurations, transmissions directed from onedevice to another device utilize multiple transmissions in moving thedata from the transmitter to the receiver. For example, thetransmissions may utilize a transmission series that includes a “readyto send” (RTS), “clear to send” (CTS), data and acknowledgement (ACK).This means of data delivery is common in RF space and provides someassurance that data is reliably transmitted and received.

Mesh networks may be even less efficient due to the multi-hopfunctionality and through device connections to the TAP (to the internetor secondary network like Cellular). For every “hop” through anotherdevice, there may be a corresponding series of transmissions toaccomplish the hop. For example, if data is provided by device Atransmitting from A to B, then through C, D, and E and finally to theTAP, this is five hops, and thus five series of transmissions may beutilized to deliver a single data packet to the TAP. At least in thisaspect, the multi-hop transmission uses at five times more bandwidththan a single-hop transmission in a star network configuration because,for example, the probability of collision increases. Note that becauseof range separation between the devices along the path, this means thatdevices on one end cannot hear devices on the other, and thus the RFmedium may not actually be shared. If the RF medium is not shared by twodevices, the devices may be able to transmit at the same time, whichimplies the inefficiency is less than five times (possibly significantlyless, depending on other factors such as the channel sharingmechanisms), from an “entire network” perspective.

Blockchain is in its early days of adaptation in various applicationsand is generally regarded to have great future potential to solve manyproblems around security, data integrity, and authentication of data,users, and devices. However, blockchain in its basic form is veryresource intensive, including using large amounts of storage and networkbandwidth.

For example, blockchain implementations may require either consensusfrom all participants (nodes) in the network or, at least, require alarge portion of participants to collaborate on transactions. Thisincludes each node performing a transaction, adding data of thetransaction to a block of a blockchain maintained by the node, andconfirming the results, as well as the storage of the block. This alsoincludes exchanging the block and the algorithmic outcomes among thenodes.

Some blockchain implementations have one or more points of centralauthority. The central authorities may have various different rolesdepending on the blockchain implementation. Some of these roles includegenerating master blockchains among the central authorities incollaboration with the other nodes, to improve performance. This mayallow for faster transaction confirmation. Nodes participating inblockchain typically store all blocks forever.

Thus, for example, resource intensive blockchain technology generallyincludes large amounts of disk and/or other storage for the blocks aswell as the network usage to distribute the blocks and the cryptographicresults to achieve consensus on the transaction.

Ultimately, all devices participating in the blockchain network mustreceive all generated blocks. This can consume a very large amount ofbandwidth to distribute all the data generated by every node, and thensent to every other node. In a mesh-network, this traffic being sentaround from each device to each device over multiple hops may consume anenormous amount of network bandwidth (even, in some cases, beyond thecapability of the network).

Storage requirements over time to maintain the record of alltransactions ever performed can use a tremendous amount of storage spaceon each device requiring very large storage drives.

Devices that store data are subject to errors, such as in the disc orother storage mechanisms that might cause the data to become corrupted,which could render a blockchain invalid or otherwise untrustworthy.

Techniques described herein provide efficiencies for maintenance of ablockchain, such as in a resource-constrained network.

In accordance with a first technique, a device selects a plurality ofother devices to participate in a blockchain based at least in part onobserved behavior of a communication link between the device and each ofthe other devices. The device, based at least in part on the selecting,participates in the blockchain with at least some of the plurality ofother devices.

In accordance with another technique, based at least in part on adetermination of an amount of remaining storage available in a devicebeing relative to a particular level, the device trims at least aportion of the blockchain from the device including by making storageallocated to the portion of the blockchain available. The devicerecalculates the blockchain without the portion of the blockchain thathas been trimmed from the device. Further, the device sends a message toanother device participating in the blockchain, the message including atleast an indication of an amount of the blockchain for the other deviceto trim.

In accordance with another technique, a first device participating in ablockchain receives an indication of an error in the blockchain beingmaintained by the first device. The first device determines a defectiveblock of the blockchain and receives a replacement for the defectiveblock from a second device. The first device determines a recalculatedblockchain that includes the replacement for the defective block.

Techniques described herein may have particular applicability to meshnetworks, although their applicability is not necessarily so limited. Amesh network is a type of wireless ad hoc network (WANET). A wireless adhoc network is considered to be ad hoc because connections between nodesof the network are formed dynamically, typically based on conditionsunder which the nodes individually and collectively are operating.Furthermore, nodes of a mesh network forward packets for other nodesand, in this way, may be considered to extend the distance which a nodemay transmit.

Nodes of a mesh network may communicate with neighboring nodes at Layer2, whereas routing of packets among the nodes may be at higher thanLayer 2. The topology of a mesh network may be considered to resemble amesh. In some mesh networks, some nodes are not connected to others.Connectivity among nodes may be at least partially dependent on thebehavior of the node, distance between the nodes and environmentalconditions. Some mesh networks are relatively stable, such thatconnectivity among nodes changes infrequently or not at all. Other meshnetworks are more dynamic, with connectivity among nodes changing asconditions change.

Each device may determine a link quality with each detected neighborbased on unicast transmission of sample packets to the detectedneighbors and waiting for acknowledgements, with the link quality basedat least in part on a success percentage of such transmissions. The linkquality determined in this way or in other ways may provide a measure ofthe noise and interference in the communication channel and/orcongestion in a receiving radio. Other link quality determinations mayinclude, for example, an indication of signal to noise ratio forcommunication with a detected neighbor device as measured by the device.The link quality measure may be a quantitative measure of the receivingradio's ability to demodulate, decode, store, and forward a packet thatis transmitted to it on that link. The link resistance may characterizea channel and/or band as seen by a frequency hopping or other spreadspectrum radio receiver. Each device may maintain a list of the neighbordevices and maintain a table of link costs and path costs. Furthermore,each device may reevaluate (such as periodically and/or whentransmission on a determined route degrades) the function and possiblychange which neighbor the device uses to route packets to thedestination. A device may determine the route cost for a particularroute from itself to a destination, such as a head end access point, asa function of the link costs that make up that particular route.

A device can register itself with an access point by, for example,sending a unicast “AP Register” message (AREG). In response to asuccessful registration by a device, the access point can send down oneor more messages to the device containing network configurationinformation and also containing blockchain participation information.

Example Environment

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example networked environment orarchitecture 100. The architecture 100 includes multiple networkcommunication devices 102(1)-102(N) (collectively referred to as“network communication devices 102”) and a network communication device104, where N is any integer greater than or equal to 1. The networkcommunication devices 102 and the network communication device 104 maybe in communication with one another via an area network (AN) 106. Oneor more network communication devices 102 and/or the networkcommunication device 104 may be participating in a blockchain.

In the example of FIG. 1, the network communication device 104 isimplemented as an edge device, which serves as a connection point of theAN 106 to one or more networks 108 (e.g., a backhaul network), such asthe Internet. The network communication device 104 may include, but isnot limited to, a field area router (FAR), a cellular relay, a cellularrouter, an edge router, a DODAG (Destination Oriented Directed AcyclicGraph) root, a root device or node of the AN 106, a combination of theforegoing, or the like. In this example, the network communicationdevice 104 relays communications from the AN 106 to a service provider110 via the one or more networks 108. Any of the network communicationdevices 102, the network communication device 104, and/or the serviceprovider 110 may perform processing to attribute information regardingcommunications with a first modulation scheme to a second modulationscheme.

As used herein, the term “area network” (AN) refers to a defined groupof devices that are in communication with one another via one or morewired or wireless links. Examples of area networks include, for example,local area networks (LANs), neighborhood area networks (NANs), personalarea networks (PANs), home area networks (HANs), field area networks(FANs), or the like. While only one AN 106 is shown in FIG. 1, inpractice, multiple ANs may exist and may collectively define a largernetwork, such as an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) of a utilitycommunication network. At any given time, each individual device may bea member of a particular AN. Over time, however, devices may migratefrom one AN to another geographically proximate or overlapping AN basedon a variety of factors, such as respective loads on the ANs, batteryreserves, interference, or the like.

The term “link” refers to a direct communication path between twodevices (without passing through or being relayed by another device). Alink may be over a wired or wireless communication path. Each link mayrepresent a plurality of channels over which a device is able totransmit or receive data. Each of the plurality of channels may bedefined by a frequency range which is the same or different for each ofthe plurality of channels. In some instances, the plurality of channelscomprises Radio Frequency (RF) channels. The AN 106 may implement achannel hopping sequence, such that a channel may change over time.Although many examples discussed herein implement a plurality ofchannels as data channels, in some instances the plurality of channelsinclude a control channel that is designated for communicating messagesto specify a data channel to be utilized to transfer data. Transmissionson the control channel may be shorter relative to transmissions on thedata channels.

The AN 106 may comprise a mesh network, in which the networkcommunication devices relay data through the AN 106. Alternatively, oradditionally, the AN 106 may comprise a star network, in which a centraldevice acts as a parent to one or more children devices. Further, insome instances the AN 106 may include a portion that is implemented as amesh network and a portion that is implemented as a star network.Moreover, in other instances the AN 106 may be implemented in whole orpart by other types of networks, such as hub-and-spoke networks, mobilenetworks, cellular networks, etc. In some instances, a device may beable to communicate with multiple different types of networks (e.g., amesh network and a star network) at the same or different times. Forinstance, if a device is unable to discover a suitable device in a meshnetwork mode, the device may attempt to connect to a nearby starnetwork, mobile data collection network, or cellular network. Regardlessof the topology of the AN 106, individual network communication devicesmay communicate by wireless (e.g., radio frequency) and/or wired (e.g.,power line communication, Ethernet, serial, etc.) connections.

In some instances, the service provider 110 comprises one or morecentral office systems that include a security service such asAuthentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) server, a networkregistration service such as Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)server, a network management service (NMS), a collection engine (CE), ameter data management system (in the utility context), a customerrelationship management system (in the sales context), a diagnosticsystem (in a manufacturing context), an inventory system (in a warehousecontext), a patient record system (in the healthcare context), a billingsystem, etc. Network communication devices may register or interact withsome or all of these one or more central office systems. In one example,the one or more central office systems may implement a meter datamanagement system to collect resource consumption data from the networkcommunication devices of the AN 106, process the resource consumptiondata, provide data regarding resource consumption to customers,utilities, and others, and/or perform a variety of other functionality.In other instances, the service provider 110 comprises other systems toimplement other functionality, such as web services, cloud services, andso on. In yet other instances, the service provider 110 may beimplemented as other types of devices, such as in the context of theInternet of Things (IoT) that allows a variety of devices to exchangedata.

The service provider 110 may be physically located in a single centrallocation, or it may be distributed at multiple different locations. Theservice provider 110 may be hosted privately by an entity administeringall or part of the communications network (e.g., a utility company, agovernmental body, distributor, a retailer, manufacturer, etc.), or maybe hosted in a cloud environment, or a combination of privately hostedand cloud hosted services.

As noted above, any of the network communication devices 102, thenetwork communication device 104, and/or the service provider 110 maycommunicate according to various modulation schemes and performprocessing to determine and indicate a preferred modulation scheme. Inthe FIG. 1 illustration, the data structure 114 may include anindication of how the network communication device 102(4) is configuredfor participation in a blockchain with other network communicationdevices 104. For example, the service provider 110 may centrally manageblockchains being maintained by the network communication device 102(4)and the other network communication devices 102, and the serviceprovider 110 may provide the blockchain participation information aspart of the blockchain management.

The data structure 114 may also include communication metric datamaintained by the network communication device 102(4) and/or provided tothe network communication device 102(4). Communication metric data mayinclude a detected/measured value, a computed value, or any otherstatistic, metric, or value related to communication. For example,communication metric data may indicate a number of transmission attempts(e.g., a number of transmissions sent), a number of successfultransmissions (e.g., a number of transmissions that are acknowledged bya receiving node), a number of unsuccessful transmissions (e.g.,calculated by subtracting a number of transmission attempts by a numberof acknowledgements), a ratio of successful transmissions to attemptedtransmissions, and so on. Further, in some examples communication metricdata includes an Expected Transmission (ETX) metric and/or an ExpectedTransmission Time (ETT) metric, as discussed in further detail below.

In many instances, communication metric data may include data that isspecific to a particular modulation scheme and/or to a particular link(e.g., direct communication path between devices). To illustrate,communication metric data may indicate a number of successfultransmissions and a number of transmission attempts via a particularlink (between a first node and a second node) with a particularmodulation scheme.

An ETX metric may generally indicate an expected number of transmissionsrequired to successfully send a transmission to a device. The ETX metricmay be computed in a variety of manners. In one example, an ETX metricequals a total number of transmissions sent (e.g., transmissionattempts) over a number of successful transmissions (e.g., transmissionsacknowledged). In another example, an ETX metric equals 1/P, whereP=Pf×Pr. Here, Pf corresponds to a probability that a transmissionsuccessfully arrives at a recipient, and Pr corresponds to a probabilitythat an acknowledgment transmission is successfully received by asender.

An ETT metric may generally indicate an expected time required tosuccessfully send a transmission to a device. In one example, the ETTmetric equals a time to transmit a transmission of a given sizemultiplied to the ETX metric.

Example Network Communication Device

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing details of an example network communicationdevice 200, such as any of the network communication devices 102 or thenetwork communication device 104. The network communication device 200may be participating in a blockchain. The network communication device200 may comprise any type of network communication device (sometimesreferred to as a node, computing device, or just device), such as arouter (e.g., a field area router (FAR), a cellular router, an edgerouter, etc.), a utility meter (e.g., electricity, water, or gas meter),a relay (e.g., a cellular relay), a repeater, a transformer, a sensor, aswitch, a control device, an encoder/receiver/transmitters (ERTs), anappliance, a personal computer (e.g., a desktop computer, a laptopcomputer, etc.), a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone, a tablet, apersonal digital assistant (PDA), an electronic reader device, etc.), awearable computer (e.g., a smart watch, an optical head-mounted display(OHMD), etc.), a server, an access point, a portable navigation device,a portable gaming device, a portable media player, a television, aset-top box, a computer system in an automobile (e.g., navigationsystem), a camera, a robot, a hologram system, a security system, ahome-based computer system (e.g., an intercom system, a home mediasystem, etc.), a projector, an automated teller machine (ATM), and soon.

In some instances, the network communication device 200 comprises a FullFunction Device (FFD), while in other instances the networkcommunication device 200 comprises a Limited Function Device (LFD). AnFFD may include more functionality/resources than an LFD, such asdifferent processing powers, processing capabilities, power reliance,hardware components, etc. In one example, an FFD is implemented as aMains Powered Device (MPD) that is connected to mains electricity (e.g.,electricity meters), while an LFD is implemented as a Battery PoweredDevice (BPD) that is not connected to mains electricity (e.g., a watermeter, gas meter, etc. that employs batteries). Since an MPD relies onmains power, the MPD may remain in an active state (e.g., a stateassociated with consuming more than a threshold amount of power).Meanwhile, since a BPD relies on battery power, the BPD may enter asleep state (e.g., a state associated with consuming less than athreshold amount of power) when the BPD is not communicating orotherwise performing operations. The BPD may use a communicationschedule to determine when to enter a sleep state and/or when to enteran active state. This may allow the BPD to conserve battery life. Insome instances, components of LFDs are lower power components than thecorresponding components of the FFDs.

As shown in FIG. 2, the example network communication device 200includes a processing unit 202, a transceiver(s) 204 (e.g., radio,modem, etc.), one or more metrology devices 206, and a power supply unit208. The processing unit 202 may include one or more processors 210 andmemory 212. The one or more processors 210 may comprise microprocessors,central processing units, graphics processing units, or other processorsusable to execute program instructions to implement the functionalitydescribed herein. Additionally, or alternatively, in some examples, someor all of the functions described may be performed in hardware, such asan application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a gate array, orother hardware-based logic device.

The transceiver(s) 204 may comprise one or more hardware and/or softwareimplemented radios to provide two-way RF communication with othernetwork communication devices in the AN 106 and/or other devices via thenetwork 108. The transceiver(s) 204 may additionally or alternativelyinclude a modem to provide power line communication (PLC) communicationwith other network communication devices that are connected to anelectrical service grid.

In some instances, the transceiver(s) 204 may include differentcharacteristics depending on the type of device implementing thetransceiver(s) 204. For example, while both FFDs and LFDs havetransceivers, the specific transceivers used may be different. Toillustrate, an FFD transceiver may include a PLC modem while an LFDtransceiver may not because the LFD is not connected to an electricalpower line that could be used for PLC communications. Additionally, oralternatively, an LFD transceiver may employ a lower power RF radio tominimize energy consumption.

The metrology device(s) 206 comprises physical hardware and/or sensorsto measure consumption data of a resource (e.g., electricity, water, orgas) at a site of the meter. In the case of an electric meter, forexample, the metrology device(s) 206 may include one or more Hall effectsensors, shunts, or the like. In the case of water and gas meters, themetrology device(s) 206 may comprise various flow meters, pressuresensors, or the like. The metrology device(s) 206 may report theconsumption data to a service provider via the transceiver(s) 204. Theconsumption data may be formatted and/or packetized in a manner orprotocol for transmission.

The power supply unit 208 may provide power to the network communicationdevice 200. In some instances, such as when the network communicationdevice 200 is implemented as an FFD, the power supply unit 208 comprisesa mains power connector that couples to an Alternating Current (AC) orDirect Current (DC) mains power line where the network communicationdevice 200 is installed. In other instances, such as when the networkcommunication device 200 is implemented as an LFD, the power supply unit208 comprises a battery, such as a Lithium Thionyl Chloride battery(e.g., a 3 volt battery having an internal impedance rated at 130 Ohms),a Lithium Manganese battery (e.g., a 3 volt battery having an internalimpedance rated at 15 Ohms), a Lithium Ion battery, a lead-acid battery,an alkaline battery, and so on.

The memory 212 includes an operating system (OS) 214 and one or moreapplications 216 that are executable by the one or more processors 210.The memory 212 may also include one or more metrology drivers 218configured to receive, interpret, and/or otherwise process metrologydata collected by the metrology device(s) 206. Additionally, oralternatively, one or more of the applications 216 may be configured toreceive and/or act on data collected by the metrology device(s) 206.

The memory 212 may also include one or more communication stacks 220. Insome examples, the communication stack(s) 220 may be configured toimplement a 6LowPAN protocol, an 802.15.4e (TDMA CSM/CA) protocol, an802.15.4-2015 protocol, 802.15.4g protocol, and/or another protocol.However, in other examples, other protocols may be used, depending onthe networks with which the device is intended to be compatible. Thecommunication stack(s) 220 describe the functionality and rulesgoverning how the network communication device 200 interacts with eachof the specified types of networks. For instance, the communicationstack(s) 220 may cause FFDs and LFDs to operate in ways that minimizethe battery consumption of LFDs when they are connected to these typesof networks.

As illustrated, the memory 212 may also store blockchain data 222. Theblockchain data 222 may be, for example, any possible series of 1's and0's of any size. Blockchain data 222 may be updated from time to timebased, for example, on transactions/blocks being added to a blockchainand/or transactions/blocks being trimmed from the blockchain.

In some instances, the network communication device 200 may beconfigured to send or receive communications on multiple channelssimultaneously. For example, the transceiver(s) 204 may be configured toreceive data at the same time on hundreds of channels. Additionally, oralternatively, the transceiver(s) 204 may be configured to send data atthe same time on hundreds of channels.

The network communication device 200 may be configured to implement avariety of modulation schemes. A modulation scheme may be associatedwith a modulation type, a data rate, and/or other parameters. In someinstances, a same modulation type is used for different modulationschemes to produce different data rates.

The memory 212 of the network communication device 200 may includesoftware functionality configured as one or more “modules.” The modulesare intended to represent example divisions of software for purposes ofdiscussion, and they are not intended to represent any type ofrequirement or required method, manner or necessary organization.Accordingly, while various “modules” are discussed, their functionalityand/or similar functionality could be arranged differently (e.g.,combined into a fewer number of modules, broken into a larger number ofmodules, etc.).

The various memories described herein (e.g., the memory 212) areexamples of computer-readable media. Computer-readable media may takethe form of volatile memory, such as random-access memory (RAM) and/ornon-volatile memory, such as read only memory (ROM) or flash RAM.Computer-readable media devices include volatile and non-volatile,removable and non-removable media implemented in any method ortechnology for storage of information such as computer-readableinstructions, data structures, program modules, or other data forexecution by one or more processors of a computing device. Examples ofcomputer-readable media include, but are not limited to, phase changememory (PRAM), static random-access memory (SRAM), dynamic random-accessmemory (DRAM), other types of random access memory (RAM), read-onlymemory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory(EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact diskread-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disks (DVD) or otheroptical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitorymedium that can be used to store information for access by a computingdevice. As defined herein, computer-readable media does not includetransitory media, such as modulated data signals and carrier waves,and/or signals.

While detailed examples of certain network communication devices aredescribed herein, it should be understood that those networkcommunication devices may include other components and/or be arrangeddifferently. As noted above, in some instances a network communicationdevice may include one or more processors and memory storing processorexecutable instructions to implement the functionalities they aredescribed as performing. Certain network communication devices mayadditionally or alternatively include one or more hardware components(e.g., application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gatearrays, systems on a chip, and the like) to implement some or all of thefunctionalities they are described as performing. Further, certainnetwork communication devices may include one or more network interfacesto send or receive data.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example mesh network 300 in which a device 302(which may be referred to as a “target device”) forms a blockchain withother devices of the mesh network 300. The mesh network 300 is coupledto a back-end server 304 via an internet access point 306. For example,the back-end server 304 may comprise one or more central office systemsthat, among other functions, serve to collect data such as utility usagedata from devices of the mesh network 300. The mesh network includes thetarget device 302, the device 308, the device 310, the device 312, thedevice 314, the device 316, the device 318, the device 320, the device322, the device 324, the device 326, the device 328, the device 330, thedevice 332, the device 334, the device 336, the device 338, the device340, the device 342 and the device 344.

To form the blockchain with other devices of the mesh network 300, thetarget device 302 may observe behavior of a link between the targetdevice 302 and other devices of the mesh network 300. For example, thetarget device 302 may observe behavior of a link between the targetdevice 302 and the device 308, the device 310, the device 312 and so onto the device 332. The device 334, the device 336, the device 338 and soon to the device 344 may be too far from the target device 302 to form alink with the target device 302. The device 324, the device 326, thedevice 328 and so on to the device 332 may be close enough to form alink to the target device 302 but, based at least in part on algorithmsused by the devices to form the mesh network 300, may not be one-hopneighbors of the target device 302 for communication via the meshnetwork 300.

Based at least in part on observing the behavior of the link between thetarget device 302 and other devices of the mesh network 300, the targetdevice 302 may select a number of other candidate participant devices toparticipate in the blockchain. For example, the target device 302 maychoose as candidate participant devices the six devices that have thebest communication behavior, such as having the highest packet successratio for transmissions from the target device 302, out of all thedevices in the mesh network 300. In some examples, the number of otherdevices the target device 302 selects as candidate participant devicesis based on a configuration and/or communication from the back-endserver 304, provided to the target device 302 via the internet accesspoint 306. As another example, the devices may be selected based on theamount of total energy used, as measured, for example, by the totalnetwork bandwidth consumed, transmissions/receptions and/or transmitoutput power.

In the FIG. 3 example, the target device 302 may select as candidateparticipant devices the six devices that include the device 308, thedevice 310, the device 312, the device 314, the device 318 and thedevice 320. In this example, all of the six devices are one-hopneighbors of the target device 302 for communication via the meshnetwork 300. However, at least some of the candidate participant devicesmay, in some examples, be devices that are greater than one hop awayfrom the target device 302 for communication via the mesh network 300.Furthermore, as conditions, such as environmental conditions, change inand/or around the mesh network 300, the devices selected as candidateparticipants for the blockchain may also change, since the performanceof the links between the target device 302 and other devices of the meshnetwork 300 may also change with changing conditions.

After selecting the device 308, the device 310, the device 312, thedevice 314, the device 318 and the device 320 as candidate participantdevices, the target device 302 sends a request to some of the selectedcandidate participant devices to participate in the blockchain. Onreceipt of the request, each of the requested candidate participantdevices may, in some examples, perform processing to determine if itwill indicate agreement to be a participant in the blockchain asrequested by the target device 302. For example, the number of candidateparticipant devices to which the target device 302 initially sends sucha request may be less than the number of candidate participant devices.In one example, the number of candidate participant devices to which thetarget device 302 initially sends such a request is four, while thenumber of candidate participant devices is six. For example, the targetdevice 302 may send the request to the four best candidate participantdevices as indicated by some observed parameter such as the packetsuccess ratio for transmission of packets over the link from the targetdevice 302 to the candidate participant device.

For example, the target device 302 may send the request to the four bestcandidate participant devices which, in the FIG. 3 example, may be thedevice 308, the device 310, the device 312 and the device 320. Eachrequested candidate participant device may determine if it will indicateagreement to be a participant in the blockchain as requested by thetarget device 302. For example, each requested candidate participantnode may determine whether it has a sufficient quality link to thetarget device 302. In some examples, link quality may be asymmetric suchthat the target device 302 perceives or otherwise observes a link of aparticular quality to a candidate participant device while the candidateparticipant device does not perceive or otherwise observe the sameparticular quality for the reverse link, to the target device 302. Othercriteria for a candidate participant device to determine if it willindicate agreement to be a participant in the blockchain as requested bythe target device 302 may include whether the candidate participantdevice has a particular amount of storage available to participate inthe blockchain, how many other blockchains in which the candidateparticipant device is already participating, and/or how busy thecandidate participant device is with processing other than blockchainprocessing generally. These are examples, and other criteria arepossible for use by the candidate participant device to determine if itwill indicate agreement to be a participant in the blockchain asrequested by the target device 302.

In one example, the device 308, the device 310 and the device 312 mayrespond to the target device 302 with a message indicating agreement tobe a participant in the blockchain as requested by the target device302. On the other hand, in the example, the device 320 may respond tothe target device 302 with a message indicating non-agreement to be aparticipant in the blockchain as requested by the target device 302, orthe device 320 may not respond at all to the request from the targetdevice 302.

Continuing with the example, the target device 302 may now request oneof the remaining candidate participant devices (the device 314 and thedevice 318) to be a participant in the blockchain. In the example, thedevice 318 responds to the target device 302 with a message indicatingagreement to be a participant in the blockchain as requested by thetarget device 302. At this point, four devices—the device 308, thedevice 310, the device 312 and the device 318—have responded to thetarget device 302 with a message indicating agreement to be aparticipant in the blockchain as requested by the target device 302.Since the target device 302, in the example, has been configured toparticipate in the blockchain with four other devices, the target device302 indicates to each of the four devices that it has been finallyselected to be a participant in the blockchain. Even if the device 314responds to the target device 302 with a message indicating agreement tobe a participant in the blockchain as requested by the target device302, the device 314 is not needed, and the target device 302 willproceed with the blockchain without the device 314 as a participant. Ifthere are not enough candidate participant devices that indicateagreement to participate in the blockchain, the target device 302 mayproceed with the blockchain with those candidate participant devicesthat have indicated agreement to participate in the blockchain. If thereare no other devices that indicate agreement to participate in theblockchain, the target device 302 may continue to store data in its ownlocal blockchain. The target device 302 may later (e.g., periodically)repeat the process of identifying candidate participant devices andrequesting the candidate participant devices to participate in theblockchain.

After identifying the four participant devices, the target device 302may send an initiation message to each of the four devices, or thetarget device 302 may directly initiate the blockchain with the fourdevices by, for example, sending each of the four devices one or moreblocks of data of the blockchain. The four devices, as well as thetarget device 302, separately perform data storage and computations inaccordance with the blockchain. Furthermore, in some examples, the fourdevices and the target device 302 report to the back-end server 304, viathe mesh network 300 and the internet access point 306, data produced inaccordance with the blockchain, such as one or more hash valuesdetermined in accordance with the blockchain. This may include, forexample, a hash value from each of the device 308, the device 310, thedevice 312 and the device 318 and the target device 302 as determinedfor the most recent block in the blockchain.

In some examples, the network is “unreliable.” This may mean that therewill be situations, in operation of the blockchain, in which blocks arenot received by all participating devices from the target device 302.There may be a mechanism for participating devices that are missingblocks to request one or more missing blocks from the target device 302.In some examples, logic within the target device 302 may assume that,based on receiving a hash from a participating device, communicationbetween the target device 302 and the participating device is workingreliably and the participating device has received all all of the blocksthat the target device 302 has attempted to provide to the participatingdevice.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example process 400 for a targetdevice to form a blockchain with other devices in a network, such as ina mesh network. Each process described herein is illustrated as logicalflow graphs, each operation of which represents a sequence of operationsthat can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof.In the context of software, the operations represent computer-readableinstructions stored on one or more computer-readable storage media that,when executed by one or more processors, perform the recited operations.Generally, computer-readable instructions include routines, programs,objects, components, data structures, and the like that performparticular functions or implement particular abstract data types. Insome contexts of hardware, the operations may be implemented (e.g.,performed) in whole or in part by hardware logic components. Forexample, and without limitation, illustrative types of hardware logiccomponents that can be used include Field-programmable Gate Arrays(FPGAs), Application-specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs),Application-specific Standard Products (ASSPs), System-on-a-chip systems(SOCs), Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs), etc. The order inwhich the operations are described is not intended to be construed as alimitation, and any number of the described operations can be combinedin any order and/or in parallel to implement the process. Further, anynumber of the described operations may be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 4, at 402, the target device selects candidateparticipant devices based at least in part on observed behavior of alink between the target device and each of other devices in a network.For example, in operation of a mesh network, the target device mayalready be maintaining a neighbor table. The neighbor table may include,for each other device reachable in a one hop link, an identification ofthe other device (e.g., a MAC address) and an indication of behavior ofthe one-hop link, such as one or more of a packet success ratio, signalto noise ratio and/or other data gleaned from observing transmissionand/or receipt of data over the link. The target device may select thebest neighbor devices as candidate participant devices, such as byselecting the neighbor devices for which the link between the targetdevice and the neighbor device has the highest packet success ratio. Thetarget device may have been configured to select a particular number ofcandidate participant devices, such as having been configured by aback-end server.

At 404, the target device requests at least some of the selectedcandidate participant devices to participate in the blockchain. Forexample, the target device may send a request message to each selectedcandidate participant device over a link between the target device andthe respective candidate participant device. For example, the targetdevice may be configured to participate in the blockchain with aparticular number of devices, where the particular number of devices isless than the particular number of candidate participant devices.

At 406, the target device receives replies from the requested candidateparticipant devices. At 408, the target device determines if enough ofthe requested candidate participant devices have indicated agreement toparticipate. For example, the target device may compare the number ofcandidate participant devices that have indicated agreement toparticipate with the particular number of participant devices with whichthe target device has been configured.

If the target device determines that not enough of the requestedcandidate participant devices have indicated agreement to participate,then the target device repeats processing at 404 with additionalselected candidate participant devices. Otherwise, at 410, the targetdevice initiates participation in the blockchain by the agreed selectedcandidate participant devices. The initiation may be, for example, bythe target device sending an initiation message to the selectedcandidate participant devices and/or sending the agreed selectedcandidate participant devices the data of one or more blocks of theblockchain.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of how devices of theexample network 300 may operate in accordance with the FIG. 4 exampleprocess 400, after selecting, at 402, the device 308, the device 310,the device 312, the device 314, the device 318 and the device 320 ascandidate participant devices. As shown in FIG. 5, at 404 of the process400, the target device 302 generates a request (502) to some of theselected candidate participant devices, namely the device 308, thedevice 310, the device 312 and the device 320. For example, the targetdevice 302 may have been configured (such as by the back-end server 304)to initially attempt to request four candidate participant devices toparticipate in the blockchain. The device 308, the device 310, thedevice 312 and the device 320 may be the selected candidate participantdevices that have the four best link characteristics for the link fromthe target device 302 to the respective candidate participant devicebased on observed behavior of the links.

At 406 of the process 400, the target device 302 receives a reply 504(either “yes” or “no”) back from the device 308, the device 310, thedevice 312 and the device 320. In the FIG. 5 example, the reply 504 backfrom the device 308, the device 310 and the device 312 is “yes.” Thereply 504 back from the device 320 is “no.”

At 408, the target device determines if enough candidate participantdevices have indicated agreement to participate. For example, the targetdevice 302 may have been configured (such as by the back-end server 304)to prefer four devices to participate in a blockchain. Since, in theFIG. 5 example, only three devices have indicated agreement toparticipate in the blockchain, the target device 302 repeats theoperation 404 with an additional selected candidate participant device.In the example, at the repeat of operation 404, the target device 302generates a request (506) to the device 314 and to the device 318 toparticipate in the blockchain.

At the repeat of operation 406, the target device 302 receives a reply(508) of “yes” from the device 318. A reply (not shown) from the device314, if received, is ignored. That is, at this point, four devices—thedevice 308, the device 310, the device 312 and the device 318—haveindicated agreement to participate in the blockchain. At 410, the targetdevice 302 generates an initiation signal (510) to the device 308, thedevice 310, the device 312 and the device 318 to begin participatingwith the target device 302 in the blockchain. In this manner, the targetdevice 302 can determine other devices in the network 300 that aresuitable to participate in the blockchain.

Validation is a characteristic feature of blockchain. That is, everytime a transaction is conducted on a blockchain, the transaction data isstored in a new block. This new block is added to the blockchain. Thetarget device 302, that created the data, is the only device that hasknowledge of the accuracy of the data, as the target device 302generated the data and added it immediately to its blockchain. Thetarget device 302 then delivers the added data to the other participantsdevices, that each added the data to its copy of the blockchain. Theother participant devices each send a global hash for the blockchainback to the target device 302 as a verification that the added data wasreceived. From that point forward, the data is now verifiable after thefact because it is in several chains, and each participant device willagree that the blockchain is the same, which provides verification ofthe entire blockchain. Since the hash each participant device returns tothe target device 302 is a hash on the entire chain, this can be used tovalidate every block in the chain as “good”. For example, a deviceverifies the block by creating and comparing the returned hash of theentire blockchain. If two or more participant nodes disagree as to thehash values, this signals that data of the blockchain in at least one ofthe participant nodes has been corrupted or otherwise altered.

In some examples, the participating devices provide the hash values to aback-end server or other central service that compares the hash valuesto determine any that disagree. In one example, if only one of theparticipating devices disagrees with the target device, then the centralservice notifies the participating device of the disagreement. Basedupon the notification, the disagreeing participating device determineswhich block is bad and removes the bad block. The disagreeingparticipating device further requests the original block from a sourcedevice (e.g., from the target device) and recalculates the blockchain.In other examples, the target device performs the hash value comparisonand, as appropriate, notifies participating devices of disagreement.

In some examples, all of the participating devices disagree with thetarget device. In this case, the target device determines the bad block,recovers the block from one of the participating devices andrecalculates the block chain. In yet other examples, all of theparticipating devices including the target device agree, but theback-end server does not agree. In this case, the back-end server mayrecover the bad block from the target device and recalculate theblockchain.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process 600 by which a device mayrecognize and remedy a blockchain error. At 602, it is determined thatan error exists in a blockchain being maintained by at least twodevices. For example, a back-end server or a target device may determinethat hash values reported in from various blockchain participants arenot all in agreement. Based on which hash value or values are not inagreement, it may be inferred which of the devices is in error. Forexample, if all of the participating devices agree except for a targetdevice, then it may be inferred that the target device is in error. Ifall of the participating devices including the target device agree, buta hash generated by the back-end server does not agree, then it may beinferred that the back-end server is in error.

For example, the back-end server may receive the hashes from theparticipating devices and, processing the received hashes, determinethat one of the participating devices or the back-end server is inerror. When the back-end server determines one of the participatingdevices is in error, the back-end server may send an indication of thedevice in error to the participating device in error and/or, even if theparticipating device in error is not the target device, to the targetdevice. The target device may then send an indication to theparticipating device in error.

At 604, the participating device in error determines which block of theblockchain on the device is defective. At 606, the participating devicein error receives a replacement for the defective block from anotherdevice, i.e., a device inferred to not be in error. For example, thetarget device may provide the replacement for the defective block inresponse to a request from the device in error. If the target device isthe device in error, the target device may request the replacement fromanother one of the participating devices. At 608, the device in errordetermines a recalculated blockchain that includes the replacement forthe defective block.

In some examples, in which the back-end server is determined to be inerror, the back-end server may perform the operations 604, 606 and 608.For example, at 604, the back-end server may determine the defectiveblock of the blockchain as maintained by the back-end server. Forexample, at 606, the back-end server may receive a replacement for thedefective block. At 608, the back-end server may determine arecalculated blockchain including the replacement for the defectiveblock.

FIG. 7 is a is a flowchart illustrating a process 700 by which a device,such as the back-end server, determines which device is exhibiting ablockchain error. At 702, the device receives a blockchain hash fromeach of a plurality of participating devices. At 704, the devicecompares the received blockchain hashes to each other. At 706, based atleast in part on the comparison, the device determines that a particularone of the participating devices is in error. For example, if all theblockchain hashes match except for one, then the device may infer thatthe blockchain participant that provided the non-matching blockchainhash is the device that is in error. As another example, if all thereceived blockchain hashes match each other, but they do not match theblockchain hash maintained by the device, then the device may infer thatthe device itself is in error. At 708, the device generates anindication of the device determined to be in error. For example, thedevice may generate the indication to send to the device determined tobe in error. The device determined to be in error, once informed, maytake steps to address the error, such as determining a defective blockof the blockchain, receiving a replacement block and recalculating theblockchain.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of how devices of theexample network 300 may operate in accordance with the FIG. 6 exampleprocess 600 and the FIG. 7 example process 700. In the FIG. 8 example,the participating devices are the device 308, the device 310, the device312 and the device 318, participating in a blockchain with the targetdevice 302. Referring to 702 of the process 700 and also referring toFIG. 8, the back-end server 304 may receive hashes (collectively, 802)from each of the device 308, the device 310, the device 312 and thedevice 318, and the target device 302. A route the hashes 802 take fromeach of the device 308, the device 310, the device 312 and the device318, and the target device 302 may be a result, for example, of how thedevices are configured for mesh network communication. For example, asshown in FIG. 8, the device 308 may provide a hash 802 a to the back-endserver 304 directly via the internet access point 306. Similarly, thedevice 310 may provide a hash 802 b to the back-end server 304 directlyvia the internet access point 306. The device 312 may provide a hash 802c to the back-end server 304 via the device 308. The device 318 mayprovide a hash 802 d to the back-end server 304 via the device 302. Thedevice 302 may provide a hash 802 e to the back-end server 304 via thedevice 310.

Continuing with the example and referring to 704 and 706 of the FIG. 7process, the back-end server 304 may compare the hashes 802 a, 802 b,802 c, 802 d and 802 e and determine that the target device 302 is inerror. This is just one example and, in other examples, the back-endserver 304 may determine that another one or more of the devices is inerror, that none of the devices are in error or that the back-end server304 itself is in error. At 708, the back-end server 304 may generate anindication 804 of the target device 302, determined to be in error.

Referring now to 602 of the FIG. 6 process 600, the target device 302may determine the existence of error in the blockchain by, for example,having received the indication 804 of the target device 302 generated bythe back-end server 304 at 708 of the FIG. 7 process 700. Referring to604 of the process 600, the target device 302 may determine a defectiveblock of the blockchain and, at 606, the target device 302 may receive areplacement 806 for the defective block from the device 312. Forexample, the device 312 may provide the replacement 806 to the targetdevice 302 in response to the target device 302 making a request 808 tothe device 312 for the replacement 806. In some examples, the targetdevice 302 may request each of the participating devices—the device 308,the device 310, the device 312 and the device 318—to send its hash, andthe target device 302 may request replacement from one of theparticipating devices whose hash matches hashes provided from otherparticipating devices. Further, in some examples, the target device 302may request the entire chain rather than a single block. At 608, thetarget device 302 may determine a recalculated blockchain including thereplacement 806.

As a blockchain grows, the amount of storage space for a device tomaintain the blockchain correspondingly grows. For resource constraineddevices in particular, this can put a strain on a device and, forexample, affect the ability of the device to perform othernon-blockchain processing. For example, in a utility network, thegrowing amount of storage for the blockchain could affect the ability ofan electric meter to continue monitoring electricity usage andperforming other non-blockchain processing.

In some examples, one or more devices participating in a blockchain may,at appropriate times, remove blocks of the blockchain. This may, forexample, free up storage space for data to be added to the blockchain.In some examples, the one or more devices may evaluate the amount ofstorage being used by the blockchain and, when the amount of storagebeing used by the blockchain is above a particular amount, the one ormore devices may remove some of the block of the blockchain. This mayinclude removing the oldest data of the blockchain and regenerating theblockchain without the oldest data.

In some examples, a network/system user chooses the disk storageallocation D in total allowed bytes. The value S may be a number ofbytes generally used per day per block. The value M is used as the totalstorage available on a device in bytes. A calculation of how long blocksshould be stored on a local device may weigh into the determination ofthe variables, including a designation of how many blockchains in whicha particular device may participate.

A periodic trim check may be used, and a period P for the trim check maydetermine when a device is to check for being close to or over itsdesignated storage limit. For example, a value Z may be selected as acomparator to the total value of M as a percentage (or can be used as asize in bytes) of the physical limit. For example, when the calculationof “Storage Remaining %”<=Z %, a trim may be performed. This value maybe zero if a “little over the storage limit is OK.” If it is not, the %used may be a value where a device would generally not be able toaccumulate more bytes than would exceed the value of M in period P.

A value “Amount to remove,” V may be designated in several differentways. As some examples, the designation may be in bytes to remove,blocks to remove, or a percentage of the total storage. It may beadvantageous to balance the frequency at which the trim is performed. Ifthe trim is performed often, for example, this may invoke aCPU-intensive operation for regenerating the blockchain. The length ofthis operation may approach the length of time between trims.

In one example, the “Total block count to remove” may be calculated as:

Number of Bytes to Remove,R=M*V%

Number of Blocks to Remove=R/S

In one example, the evaluation (and possible trim) process may operateat period P. At each evaluation, if the value Storage Remaining % isless than or equal to the value Z %, the trim algorithm runs. The numberof blocks to trim is calculated and that number of blocks is removed. Atthis point, all blocks recalculate their hashes back to the new root(first) block in the chain. This operation can take a long time. In someexamples, the amount of time the operation takes may be on the order ofless than half of the block generation period, which may give allparticipants in the blockchain opportunity to do the recalculationbefore data is added to the blockchain at the next block generation.

This trim process may be performed at same time as block generation, forexample, performed after a block is generated, but before the new blockis sent to the other members of the blockchain group. For example, inconjunction with the new block being sent, a header sent along with thenew block to describe the new block may also include fields describingthe number of blocks to remove (and possibly other guidance to assist inmaintaining blockchain synchronization among the blockchainparticipants).

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a process 900 by which a device, suchas a target device, may determine to trim a blockchain and may then trimthe blockchain. Referring to FIG. 9, at 902, based at least in part onan amount of remaining storage available in the device being relative toa particular level, the device trims a portion of the blockchain fromthe device including by making storage allocated to the portion of theblockchain available. For example, the device may trim the oldest datain the blockchain. In one example, the blockchain includes utility usagedata, and the device may trim the oldest utility usage data in theblockchain.

At 904, the device recalculates the blockchain without the portion ofthe blockchain that has been trimmed from the device. For example, aftertrimming the oldest data in the blockchain, the device may recalculatethe blockchain without the removed oldest data. In some examples, thedevice may trim data, such as the oldest data, at the same time asadding a block for new data. In this way, the device may recalculate theblockchain to include the new data as well as to account for the trimmedoldest data.

At 906, the device sends and/or receives a message to and/or fromanother device participating in the blockchain. Whether the device sendsor receives the message may be based at least in part on whether thedevice is the target device—in which case it would generally receive themessage and, otherwise, would generally send the message. The messageincludes at least an indication of an amount of the blockchain for theother device to trim. The device and the other device may bepreconfigured to remove the oldest data in a similar manner. Forexample, it may be a potential security risk to communicate, among thedevices, an amount to be trimmed, given that some of the devices may becompromised. A compromised device that receives an indication of theamount to trim may be unnecessarily aided in maintaining consistency andconcealing the compromise.

In some examples, the device may send the message in conjunction withreceiving a message that includes data to be added to the blockchain.This may streamline communication between the device and the otherdevice since, for example, the same communication overhead may beamortized over the communication of the indication of the hash and thedata to be added to the blockchain. In addition, the other device mayrecalculate the blockchain to include the new data as well as to accountfor the trimmed oldest data, where the recalculated blockchain for whichthe hash is sent is includes the new data and does not include thetrimmed oldest data.

Furthermore, if more than the other device is participating in theblockchain with the device, the device may send the indication of thedata to be trimmed to one or more of those other devices that areparticipating in the blockchain with the device.

For example, the device performing the operations of the process 900 maybe the target device 302. The target device 302 may, at 902, trim atleast a portion of a blockchain from the target device 302. The targetdevice 302 may, at 904, recalculate the blockchain without the portionof the blockchain that has been trimmed from the target device 302. At906, the target device 302 may send a message to the devicesparticipating in the blockchain—the device 308, the device 310, thedevice 312 and the device 318—the message including at least anindication of an amount of the blockchain for the other device to trim.

The target device 302 may send the message to the device 308, the device310, the device 312 and the device 318 along with data to add to theblockchain. This may streamline communication between the target device302 and the other devices participating in the blockchain, as well asallowing the other devices participating in the blockchain torecalculate the blockchain to include the new data as well as to accountfor the trimmed oldest data.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example blockchain 1000 being maintained by adevice. The blockchain 1000 may be trimmed by the device, such as inaccordance with the FIG. 9 example process. The blockchain 1000, beforetrimming, includes a block 1002, which is the oldest block in theblockchain and is at “Position 1” in the blockchain, with the oldestdata in the blockchain. From next oldest to newest, the blockchainbefore trimming also includes a block 1004 at Position 2, a block 1006at Position 3, a block 1008 at Position 4 and a block 1010 at Position5. The blockchain 1000 is a simplistic example, as many blockchains mayhave hundreds of thousands of blocks or more.

Each of block 1002, block 1004, block 1006, block 1008 and block 1010include data of multiple transactions, such as up to five hundredtransactions or more. Each of block 1002, block 1004, block 1006, block1008 and block 1010 includes a respective hash value 1012, hash value1014, hash value 1016, hash value 1018 and hash value 1020. In anexample, the device determines the hash value for a block based at leastin part on the data of the block and the hash of the block in theprevious position. For example, for the block 1010 at Position 5 in theblockchain 1000 before trimming, the block 1008 is in the previousposition (Position 4) in the blockchain 1000. Therefore, in the example,the device determines the hash 1020 for the block 1010 based at least inpart on the data of the block 1010 and the hash 1018 of the block 1008.

With respect to the FIG. 9 trimming process 900 and referring to theFIG. 10 example blockchain 1000, at 902, the device may trim a portionof the blockchain 1000 by making storage allocated to a portion of theblockchain 1000 available. For example, the device 902 may determine toremove two blocks of the blockchain 1000. Thus, for example, the devicemay determine to remove the block 1002 at Position 1 and the block 1004at Position 2 by making the storage allocated to the block 1002 and tothe block 1004 available. Thus, the block 1006 becomes the block atPosition 1′ of the blockchain 1000 after trimming, the block 1008becomes the block at Position 2′ and the block 1010 becomes the block atPosition 3′. Furthermore, the device may be adding a new block 1022 atthe time of trimming the block 1002 and the block 1004, and the newblock 1022 becomes the block at position 4′.

Continuing with the example, at 904, the device may recalculate theblockchain 1000 considering the trimmed block 1002 and the trimmed block1004 and also considering the new block 1022. In recalculating theblockchain 1000, the device may calculate the hash 1016, the hash 1018,the hash 1020 and the hash 1024. For example, the device may calculatethe hash 1016 based at least in part on the data of the block 1006. Thedevice may calculate the hash 1018 based at least in part on the data ofthe block 1008 and on the hash 1016. The device may calculate the hash1020 based at least in part on the data of the block 1010 and on thehash 1018. Furthermore, the device may calculate the hash 1024, for thenew block 1022, based at least in part on the data of the new block 1022and on the hash 1020.

At 906, the device may send a message to another device participating inthe blockchain 1000. The message may include at least an indication ofthe amount of the blockchain for the other device to trim, such as thenumber of blocks to trim. For example, the target device 302 may sendsuch a message to the device 308, the device 310, the device 312 and/orthe device 318. The message may also include data of a block to add tothe blockchain 1000. Based at least in part on receiving the message,the other device may also trim the block 1002 and the block 1004 and addthe new block 1022. The other device may recalculate the blockchain 1000in a manner similar to that just discussed, by recalculating and newlycalculating the various hash values as appropriate. As a result, thetarget device and the participating devices should have matchingversions of the trimmed and added blockchain such that another device,such as the back-end server 304, may validate transactions in the blocksof the blockchain 1000.

CONCLUSION

The techniques described herein improve how a network manages one ormore blockchains, such as a network that is constrained with respect tostorage and communication bandwidth. Although the subject matter hasbeen described in language specific to structural features and/ormethodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matterdefined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to thespecific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features andacts are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method to form a blockchain, comprising: by adevice, selecting a plurality of other devices to participate in theblockchain based at least in part on observed behavior of acommunication link between the device and each of the other devices; andby the device and based at least in part on the selecting, participatingin the blockchain with at least some of the plurality of other devices.2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: by the device, causing afirst request to be sent a first one of the plurality of other devicesto participate in the blockchain; and based at least in part on aresponse from the first one of the plurality of other devices, causing asecond request to be sent to a second one of the plurality of otherdevices to participate in the blockchain.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein the response from the first one of the plurality of otherdevices includes at least an indication denying the first request toparticipate in the blockchain.
 4. The method of claim 1 whereinparticipating in the blockchain with at least some of the plurality ofother devices includes: sending data of the blockchain to the at leastsome of the plurality of other devices; and calculating one or moreparameters of the blockchain based at least in part on the data of theblockchain.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving arequest for the data of the blockchain from at least one of theplurality of other devices.
 6. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: reporting, to a central authority, an indication of the atleast some of the plurality of other devices.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein the observed behavior includes at least packet success ratebetween the device and each of the other devices.
 8. A networkcommunication device, comprising: a radio configured to communicate witha plurality of other network communication devices; one or moreprocessors communicatively coupled to the radio; and memorycommunicatively coupled to the one or more processors, the memorystoring one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, cause the one or more processors to perform operationscomprising: selecting the plurality of other network communicationdevices to participate in a blockchain based at least in part onobserved behavior of a communication link between the networkcommunication device and each of the other network communicationdevices; and based at least in part on the selecting, participating inthe blockchain with at least some of the plurality of other networkcommunication devices.
 9. The network communication device of claim 8,the operations further comprising: causing a first request to be sent toa first one of the plurality of other network communication devices toparticipate in the blockchain; and based at least in part on a responsefrom the first one of the plurality of other network communicationdevices, causing a second request to be sent to a second one of theplurality of other network communication devices to participate in theblockchain.
 10. The network communication device of claim 9, wherein theresponse from the first one of the plurality of other networkcommunication devices includes at least an indication denying the firstrequest to participate in the blockchain.
 11. The network communicationdevice of claim 8, wherein participating in the blockchain with at leastsome of the plurality of other network communication devices includes:sending data of the blockchain to the at least some of the plurality ofother network communication devices; and calculating parameters of theblockchain based at least in part on the data of the blockchain.
 12. Thenetwork communication device of claim 8, the operations furthercomprising: reporting, to a central authority, an indication of the atleast some of the plurality of other network communication devices. 13.The network communication device of claim 8, the operations furthercomprising: reporting, to a central authority, an indication of at leastone hash of the blockchain.
 14. The network communication device ofclaim 8, wherein the observed behavior includes at least packet successrate between the network communication device and each of the othernetwork communication devices.
 15. One or more computer-readable mediastoring computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause oneor more processors of a device to perform operations comprising:selecting a plurality of other devices to participate in a blockchainbased at least in part on observed behavior of a communication linkbetween the device and each of the other devices; and based at least inpart on the selecting, participating in the blockchain with at leastsome of the plurality of other devices.
 16. The one or morecomputer-readable media of claim 15, the operations further comprising:causing a first request to be sent to a first one of the plurality ofother devices to participate in the blockchain; and based at least inpart on a response from the first one of the plurality of other devices,causing a second request to be sent to a second one of the plurality ofother devices to participate in the blockchain.
 17. The one or morecomputer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the response from the firstone of the plurality of other devices includes at least an indicationdenying the first request to participate in the blockchain.
 18. The oneor more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein participating inthe blockchain with at least some of the plurality of other devicesincludes: sending data of the blockchain to the at least some of theplurality of other devices; and calculating parameters of the blockchainbased at least in part on the data of the blockchain.
 19. The one ormore computer-readable media of claim 15, the operations furthercomprising: reporting, to a central authority, an indication of the atleast some of the plurality of other devices.
 20. The one or morecomputer-readable media of claim 15, the operations further comprising:reporting, to a central authority, an indication of at least one hash ofthe blockchain.